Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[BevDavis]

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Hi

He is a blue birchen that is carrying a gold and silver gene.

Bev

 

[ruth]

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Hey, glad to find this post but where's the picture of the bird you're discussing? I think I know what you are talking about. I have a few hens that have the copper going down the chest and no where else on the body (other than hackles). When I first started reading about "mossy" I thought that's what everyone was talking about but now I've learned it's not mossy but still didn't quite know what to do with them.

I'm guessing now I should put those hens with that beautiful roo I posted a while back that was solid black body with black fluff and undercoat, and dark mahogany hackles and coloring - and a perfect 5 point comb. I had thought him too dark to use and the hens to much color on their chest but now I'll set up another breeder pen.

I've just bought leg bands and plan to actually start "working" my line and recording and keeping offspring.

 

[BevDavis]

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Have you seen other blue birchen? i can not find info anywhere on them. I must be looking in the wrong place. How would I breed him to improve and get more?

Hi

If you haven't got any birchen hens I would breed him to a black copper hen and you will get some silver birchen and black copper hens. The reason is, he is carrying two sets of genes, one silver and the other gold. In the next generation you would want to breed him to his silver birchen daughter and select a rooster that is carrying two sets of silver genes. To get fresh blood breed the male carrying two sets of silver genes to a black copper or blue copper female and keep the females, they will be silver birchen.

Bev

 

[aceschix]

Miss Bev,

That is exactly the specific advice I am looking for. THANK YOU so much!! Do you think he is good enough to establish all of that for? i am willing but do not want to throw good money after bad...so to speak.

I would need to get some "good" BCM hens. I only have one right now. The blues and splashes did much better for me. I need to cull my BC Roo because of his leg color.

 

[flgardengirl]

Pink chick: Thanks for the post on the blues and blue coppers. I have been breeding a blue copper boy who is a little light in the hackles with my dark black copper hens who look like cheepa
(all black with just a little dark copper in the hackles). The chicks are still young but I am already seeing some improvement in the blue pullets and nice coppering in thier hackles. One of the young blue cockerals looks promising too. Darker blue with lacing and starting to get his hackle coloring in. I hope his color keeps improving.

 

[Wynette]

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Hey, glad to find this post but where's the picture of the bird you're discussing? I think I know what you are talking about. I have a few hens that have the copper going down the chest and no where else on the body (other than hackles). When I first started reading about "mossy" I thought that's what everyone was talking about but now I've learned it's not mossy but still didn't quite know what to do with them.

I'm guessing now I should put those hens with that beautiful roo I posted a while back that was solid black body with black fluff and undercoat, and dark mahogany hackles and coloring - and a perfect 5 point comb. I had thought him too dark to use and the hens to much color on their chest but now I'll set up another breeder pen.

I've just bought leg bands and plan to actually start "working" my line and recording and keeping offspring.

Ruth, I don't have a pic of her - she's in my layer pen (a cull....or so I thought). I'll try to get a pic of her this weekend & post on Monday.

 

[BevDavis]

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So, maybe your friend could work with us to import some REAL FRENCH BCM . . . .

Maybe they have ones without white feathers, with the five point comb, tail feathers at 45 degree or less, AND AND AND lays a really dark egg . . . .

HOW MUCH DOES YOUR FRIEND LIKE YA ? ? ? ?

My BCMs hatched from eggs that came from France.

Hi

I did write to Christian in France and asked him about the Golden Salmons (Golden Duckwings) (Partridge) and he told me that there were people working on them but they wouldn't be ready for acceptance for about five years.

Bev

 

[BevDavis]

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Yes.

Don't let Splash confuse you......it is basically just an extension of blue so to speak, but a universal tool in the B/B/S world of genetics.
A person can make lots of blue chickens with a splash bird.

Hi

There are a lot of splash birds out there that are a light blue/white bird with the odd blue feather here and there, these could either be silver or gold birchen splash. For some reason the gold does not show itself in the hackle feathers of the females unless it's crossed with a wheaten. It took me a lot of breeding back to a black copper to get a male that showed the red white and blue. It was a fun project to do but didn't like the result although some people did. I have never bred a splash female with any gold in her hackles.

Bev

 

[BevDavis]

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Hi

What birds did he come from? It could be that you have a silver birchen splash. Let me know what birds you have and the egg color and I'll let you know which ones to breed from.

Bev

 

[aceschix]

Quote:
Hi

What birds did he come from? It could be that you have a silver birchen splash. Let me know what birds you have and the egg color and I'll let you know which ones to breed from.

Bev

I will double check my hatching record but I believe that he came from the same pen/breeder that the hens I uploaded came from. I got 2 batches of eggs from that breeder. I kept 3 blue hens, 1 splash. I sold another roo earlier on. The eggs were a nice dark color...I may have a picture of the eggs somewhere. Do you think those hens (well they may) carry the same genotype? The hens are a few pages back. Do you want me to re-post the pictures?